Rainbow child

I’m sick and tired of the crappy service offered by blog.com, so I’m moving to another domain. Jen was so sweet and offered to host me at .mostly-harmless.ro, this means my new blogs will be:

• the personal blog: http://rainbowchild.mostly-harmless.ro/
• and my book blog [RO]: http://rainbowbooks.mostly-harmless.ro/

I will have more facilities and hopefully I won’t encounter as many errors as on this domain. It’s hard to leave my ionuca.blog.com because I’ve been here almost a year and a half now and here are sooo many memories and feelings. On the other hand, I want better services and blog.com wants to be paid for them and I’m not paying!

Btw, this server is going through an existential problem period and the blog will be on and off the following days. But it will be back on track in no time

Bye-bye, blog.com!

I don’t feel older, nor special. I didn’t want to do anything yesterday, but I bought some KFC food and went to my aunt “to celebrate”. My aunt surprised me and bought me a cake and then she and Mihnea sang “Happy birthday” and it was kind of touching. It feels good to have such great people around you!

And today I went to spend the money I had received from my parents. I had in mind buying a new pair of Converse shoes and a bag for my laptop, but my plans suddenly changed. I still bought the bag, tough. Well… Jen’s eBook reader kind of changed my mind, to be honest. I met Jen and went to her place. We ate, drank a cup o tea [delicious!], ate cake and chocolate, talked about books and then it happened: she showed me her eBook reader. It was love at first… reading! I had seen it with other occasions as well, but only today I actually took a good look at it. Yeap, I definitely want one. I even talked to mum and she said “ok”. And I have the money… so, it’s settled. Well, it’s not actually… Cata said I’d better buy a PDA. What should I do??? And here comes the really dilemma: a classic eBook reader or a PDA? Help? :-S

Later edit [25.01.2006]: I thank all of you for your kind suggestions. After much tough and consideration [not!] I’ve decided that an eBook reader would be the best choice for now. Though I dream of a Sony reader  I’ll just have to settle for this one instead. And I can hardly wait to have it!!!! MINEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, I totally like Jen

 Me!

 Awwwww

 :D

A Friday song on a Friday afternoon of a person in such a Friday mood It’s Friday and I’m in love and I’m happy and I’m singing and I’m dancing!

It was such a stressful week, but thank God it’s Friday and it’s gooooone! I had 4 exams [2German, 1 Economy, 1 English morphology] and there’s one more for today at Law. I’m glad I took the English morphology exam and now I can relax a bit. I still have about 6 exams but they’re kind of ok, except one. So no more stress for me!

I’m so orange today: a t-shirt with orange and blue stripes, an orange belt, orange underwear and orange socks. I feel so happy wearing this colour! And by the way, I cut my hair!!!! I cut my hair!!!!!! I took the scissors, went into the bathroom and started cutting :)) Long hair is not for me. This means no more rows with mum about me not combing my hair, no more hair on my clothes [simply loath that!], no more hair on the back of my head [hate that feeling as well]. Yup, back to my old self! And I’m happy! And I’m full of energy! And I feel like dancing! And I have an exam in less than 2 hours time :))

But tonight I’m going to party!!! It’s Oni’s birthday and we’re going out. Yupi!!!! A girl’s night! Oh, yeah!!!! Beer, good music, DANCING and hanging out with the girls. It’s going to be a wild night!!!!

I’m so happy that I can’t write anymore :)) I love Fridays!!!!!!

Currently:

• Feeling: good
• Listening to: Regina Spektor - Fidelity*

Woke up a bit late this morning. Turned on the laptop, went to the bathroom, dressed and danced while singing “Stop, I’m already dead” from Deadboy & the Elephant Man and went to the German exam. The exam was easier than I had expected. Hope it’s not just my imagination

I still have 3 more exams this week. The Economy exam is tomorrow. God, I hate that subject! Totally sucks! At least I’ll be ready with the exams on the 5 th of February. This means I can go to Cluj for a few days, before going home. I can hardly wait!!! Yeah, I already feel the enthusiasm. Spending quality time with My Maria - the perfect way to relax after the exams.

I’m still in my “silence is golden” period. No phone calls, no talking on YM, no nothing. You don’t think I might turn into an anti-social person, do you? :-S But, but, but… I really don’t have the patience for small talks. And I don’t have anything important to say. So, yeah… I’m silent.

I simply love the weather here. Surely there’s something wrong with the climate, but who cares? No snow, no cold… just sun and warm weather and Converse shoes and soft, wool jackets. This is life! Give me eternal spring, good books, millions of oranges, cups of black tea, all my dear friends and I shall be happy!

So… nothing more to say. Guess today I was happy. Just like that. Just that. Happy.

Oh, and talking about bloggers’ desks… I kind of miss my huge desk from Baia Mare

Currently:

• Feeling: both enthusiastic and mad
• Listening to: Damien Rice

I’ve been kind of silent these last few days. I didn’t feel the need to express myself; didn’t think there was something worth mentioning. Next week I have to take 4 exams. I’m scared, but I’m trying to learn. So this is what I’ve been doing: pseudo-learning and reading.

The extraordinary part starts here: I got offered a job as an editor at Tritonic Publishing House. I said “yes”. And I also told them not to fully rely on me until I give them a sample of a text edited by me. I don’t want to get overexcited about this, but I can’t! How could I? Come on, I got a job in a publishing house and I’m not even 20 yet, I don’t have an university diploma, no experience, no nothing! Only the thought that they’re actually giving me a chance is TERRIFIC! Can you imagine? I have the chance to read books for free and get paid for that!!! It’s a dream come true!

Now you get to read the whole story: when I called mum and told her that I kind of got a job, she didn’t even try to sound happy for me or something. Instead she kept on saying that I’m too young to have a job, that I won’t have time for myself anymore. Although I told her that I was going to that job interview, I think she never really thought they would give me the job and I would take it. She kept on asking me why I need a job. And I had to tell her: because I didn’t like the university courses and I feel I’m useless. Wrong move! Suddenly she started being very sarcastic and ironic and told me I can drop out of university any time I want, that I’m not obliged to study and other such things. I never said I wanted to drop out or something like that, I just feel I have lots of free time on my hands and I can do something for ME. I still want to finish university, but why not try to work in a domain that I simply love? And besides, she knows damn well that it has been my dream to work for a publishing house since I don’t know how long.

I really needed her support now. I wanted her to tell me she’s proud of me, that she supports me in everything I do. I didn’t need her sarcastic remarks. I didn’t want to her talking to me like that. How can she not be proud of me? Does she think that working for a publishing house is something to be ashamed of, or what??? I know, I’m not a bank director, but I never wanted to become one!!!!!! For her it doesn’t even matter what I feel, what I want. It only matters what other think of me, what other say of me… why? Why can’t she understand me? She doesn’t give a fuck about my spare time! She only cares about those stupid university grades! Fuck them!!!!! I can finish that stupid university and work! Just let me be!

I’m not that stupid to give up on my education and get a fulltime job. If I get the job and I feel it’s too much for me, I can always quit. But I want to try this! I want to do something for ME, I want to be egotistic this time. I want to try this, I really do!

This year didn’t feel like Christmas at all. It has been the first year when I spent the Christmas Eve in Baia Mare and not at my grandma’s, in Borlesti. It wasn’t magical at all; it was just another night. And as much as I hate snow, it was strange not having a white Christmas this year.

On Christmas Day we went to Borlesti and I saw my relatives. It was strange being there after more than 3 months and especially after I had kind of lost touch with the village and the people living there. But seeing almost all my family reunited under the same roof, looking my grandma’s sister, at my other uncles and aunts, at my cousins, I suddenly felt so warm inside. All these sweet memories came back to me. All the years spent at my grandma’s flashed through my mind in just a few seconds. I remembered all the stupid things I did, all the games I played, the times I went to the disco with my cousins, the delicious food my aunt used to give me, the time spent there with them. And I smiled. And I was happy to be there, by their side. In my mind I hugged them all and said a big Thank you! I promised myself that in the summer I would spend at least a week there; I need to get in touch with my roots, to rediscover my childhood.

I’ve been kind of down these last days from more or less obvious reasons, but now I’m “slowly waking from this light coma”. I’m rediscovering myself. I’m learning new things about me. I read some of my conversations with Alex. Even tough they are almost 4 years older, I still remember each and every occasion we talked, the way I felt, what I expected… I wanted to read them all, but I simply couldn’t. Too much pain, too many bitter memories, too much of a self I don’t know anymore. It wouldn’t have helped me. Alex still is a painful subject. I just hope I won’t see him again until I go back to Bucharest.

Speaking of which… now I really feel I belong there. I got an e-mail from Adina, my aunt. She says she and Mihnea miss me, and that every time the phone rings, Mihnea asks if it’s me who’s calling. She really surprised me, especially because we have become close only after I had moved there. I don’t know… I feel so good having them there and knowing that they really care.

And then there are those e-mails or comments or lines on YM which you get when you least expect and they feel your heart with warmth. And today I cried cause my heart was so full of happiness and because someone made me feel really special and that doesn’t happen very often.

Now I’m going to bed and I hope I’ll be able to finish Mort. Look, I’m smiling again Thank you!

… a blog and a song. These days I wanted to read something different and looked for interesting blogs. Roxa has quite a few recommendations and I hit some links among which was this one. Ok… let me see what this guy writes about. His last post is about his trip to Athens. But it’s so very different from what I’ve read till now! I immediately fell in love with his way of writing. He has so much potential, he writes so beautifully, his blog is simply amazing! And in Romanian! And I want to meet this guy, I really, really do! So I wrote him an e-mail, told him what I think about his blog, asked him out and waited… he said YES. \:D/ You can’t possibly imagine how happy I was this morning when I read his e-mail! I was doing the dance of joy and repeating “oh my God, he said yeeeeeees”. I really don’t do things like this, I’m more the reserved type of girl, but he is different… and like I told him, he’s like a novel character [a very well defined one], but he’s one I can meet. And I want to meet him. And I will. Thank you Cougar for making my day!

About the song… Aberfeldy - Summer’s gone. I went to a theatre play [a modern theatre play] and it had this song on the background. It was love at first listening! It’s the kind of song which you hum without noticing, which you keep on putting on repeat, which you listen to for hours and hours. It’s that happy song which I can’t get out of my head. And the band is as well awesome! I managed to download 2 albums and I like ‘em! They sound so much like Belle and Sebastian.

So, I’m in a good mood. In a very good mood. But I still haven’t finished that translation, still haven’t learnt, still have read as much as I would have liked… but who cares? Next week I’m going home. Yesterday I bought the train ticked [bloody expensive!] and it was the first time I really missed home since I’ve moved here. I was holding the ticket and all these memories [sweet ones] came back to me and it was touching. I missed Mum, my former bed, my blue room, my favourite pub, the ice-cream from TP, my colleagues [not all of them, though], heck I missed everything! Of course it didn’t last much, but at least now I can’t say I didn’t miss Baia Mare at all

Now I have to run… There are places to go, people to see, cooked food to eat, ballet tickets to buy, a friend to meet… busy me! Oh, on Friday I’m going ice skating! I can hardly wait! I haven’t ice-skated since I was like 9, so yeah, my butt is gonna hate me for this! And hopefully, on Friday night I’m going to the Byron concert in Yellow Pub. [dreamy face] Byron <3 … This week I’m having fun. This week I’m treating myself like a queen. This week is MY week!  

I’m starting to believe that bitching about your life IS the right way for things to improve. Let me make myself understood.

Today started just like any other Sunday: woke up, fell asleep again, woke up, fell asleep, finally got up. After that I hung around the house doing practically nothing. At about 2 o’clock, Otilia called and said to go and eat with her and her boys. Happy happy joy joy! This meant I didn’t need to buy food and I could spare the money and put it my piggy-bank. I got dressed, took the tube and found the restaurant. I ate a pizza, had a lovely time with them and hurried back home to my Hausaufgabe [my German homework].

I was about to cross the street to reach the tube station, when I man with a map in his hand and a very puzzled face asked me: “Do you speak English?” “Yes, I do.” “Oh, great! Could you please tell me, where the hell I am?” :)) We were on Amzei Street and he wanted to reach the railroad station. He was a 27-28-year-old American visiting Bucharest. He seemed like a nice person and I volunteered to show him the way from Piata Romana to the station. We started talking and talking and talking and before I knew it, I was accompanying him to the station!

It was a lovely weather and we were constantly smiling and talking. He was such a nice company! A smart, cute, funny man, I may say. And we stopped for a tea and talked about, oh, so many things! We then resumed our walk, reached the railroad station, he bought a ticket for Bulgaria and headed back to Piata Romana.

Now here comes the juicy part. I know you’re just dying to hear the whole story, but have a little patience. After we finished with the “oh, what I lovely evening this was! What a character you are! I’m so glad I’ve met you” he said “Can I hug you?” “Why, yes, of course!”. Then he said “Can I kiss you?” “Hmmm… ok.” Yeah, we kissed ;)) In the middle of the street, with people walking by us, with the cars speeding past us… And I really seized the day. I won’t ever see this man again. I haven’t exchanged e-mail addresses or something.

You know, I’ve longed for such a day since immemorial times: to meet a man in the street by coincidence and then hang around with him and never see him ever again. He’s going to be a simple memory, but a precious one. And nothing’s better than such memories. I’ll be 50, married with children, and I’ll think of him and start to laugh and nobody except me will know why. It’s going to be my little secret. So, yeah, I’ve kind of seized the day, haven’t I?

Same old “I don’t know where to begin” phrase. I’m warning you: this is going to be a very looooong post cause I have so many things to tell you, so many experiences to share with you. But, first and foremost, I want to tell you that I’ve missed you like hell and I’m aware that I have so much catching-up to do regarding your blogs, your lives, yourselves.

Thursday night, 3 weeks ago. “How do you feel when you know you’re leaving Baia Mare for good?” “To tell the truth, mum, I don’t feel a thing right now. I’ve waited for this moment to come for such a long time, I’ve thought about it so much, that it’s not a big deal anymore.” And thus, my one-way journey started.

Friday morning, 3 weeks ago. I saw how my apartment looked like. From the first step I took inside, I knew I wouldn’t have any problems in calling it “home”, in feeling like home here; a new home, a home of my own. We’ve scrubbed and cleaned a lot, cause the bastard which stayed here last here hadn’t ever cleaned the place, but now it looks awesome and I’m so proud of it. I don’t have my camera with me, but as soon as I’ll have some pictures with it, I’ll post them and brag again with my new home J

Saturday early morning, 3 weeks ago. Got up at 4:30 in the morning to go to the railway station to see Cata. I stayed with him till about 10, when he left for the airport. I didn’t cry, I didn’t feel broken-hearted. I was more than ok about his leave and I forgave him for messing up our plans. Now he’s in Italy and he keeps on telling me he’s sociable and he talks with everyone there. Good, cause he really needs t improve his social skills. I know I’m very bitchy when it comes to his flaws.

My first days here were great. Nothing important really happened, but I felt like I belong here, in this big city. I got familiarised with the tube, the buses, the shops around my place etc. Then school started. Made new friends from the first day. I like my colleagues from both groups [the English and the German group]. I’ve met really nice people. The teachers are ok, I have some really interesting courses and not such a busy schedule. I’m thinking of getting a part-time job and Otilia [mum's best friend] is working on this one. If I’m lucky enough, I’ll work Sundays and Saturdays in a bookshop. How cool would that be? Incredibly cool. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Otilia will be able to find such a job for me.

It’s been 3 weeks since I’ve been living in my dream city. It’s completely different from Baia Mare. Well, it’s the way it should be. The strange thing is that I don’t feel like an alien here, although my accent betrays me every time I open my mouth to speak. Usually when people hear that I’m from Baia Mare, they go something like this: “From BM? Isn’t Bucharest a bit too far away? Why did you come here?” Yes, it is far [665km by train], but it has been my life-long dream to move here one day. So far I haven’t witnessed any unpleasant situations, nobody attacked nor robbed me, nobody hit on me out of the blue, and nobody cursed me. I glad I’m the kind of person who doesn’t attract attention. But my friends here tell me that I have to give Bucharest some time to unveil its real self to me. Still, I don’t think Bucharest is as bad as many of them tell me it is.

Ok, this was just the introduction. Here come the more detailed events from the last 3 weeks.

The Internet thingy. I had access to the Internet from the first week here, but I didn’t have a computer. Then, this week my mum bought me a laptop. Happy happy joy joy! The I had Internet access and a laptop, but I didn’t have a router, cause we have only an IP. On Tuesday I bought the router; so, let’s see: Internet connection, laptop and router. Sounds like I don’t need anything else, right? WRONG!!!! We couldn’t configure the damn router! Maria talked with one of her friends from Bucharest and Vic came over and tried to help us, but nothing. That bloody thing didn’t let itself configured! Then, today, a guy from the firm which provides the Internet came and tried to help us. The Horse [that's his nickname] called one of his friends, The Gypsy to come and help him. Let me tell you something about these 2 guys: they were both half gypsies, huge and fat, they had an incredibly horrible body odor, smoked cigarette after cigarette, talked trash to each other and threw us very languorous looks. It was 4 very long hours with them in the house. When I had lost all hope that that router would ever be configured, EVRIKA, they did it!!! I was incredibly happy and I was actually doing a joy dance around the room. God, the Internet has such a major influence on me!

People I’ve met. Bozy was the first to give me the “welcome to Bucharest” tour. I know him from last.fm and he’s an awesome dude! I really like him. He’s the kind of guy mothers like: he’s cute, mannered and you can trust him and know he’ll be there when you need him. Then I met Alina. She’s a sweetie! We went for a cup of hot chocolate and we talked and talked and talked. She’s so fun to talk to! I really enjoyed our little escapades ;)) Oni was next. She’s a friend of My Maria’s and the more I get to know her, the more I like her. She’s such an open-hearted intelligent girl, that you simply cannot like her. Same things apply to Meropi as well. I’m still waiting to meet Rica, Green [btw, when are you planning on coming here after all?] and Jen.

Things I’ve done. I went to the theatre 3 times already and I’m planning on going every week from now on. I went out dancing with Oni, Mari [her sister] and Patrik and I spent 3h of the night in the University Passage. The girls had to call it a night at about 1 o’clock and I forced Patrik to go home at about 2:30 in the night. I didn’t want to take a taxi to my place [they're bloody expensive!] and I had no other option than to wait till 5 in the morning to take the first tube home. And Patrik didn’t want to leave me on my own at the tube station. He made me promise I’d give him a beep on his mobile every half and hour and sent him a message as soon as I got home. But he needed have worried. The guards from the tube station stayed with me and the guy from McDonald’s gave me chocolate to eat. I felt so protectedJ) I had my very own bodyguards. He he. I know it’s not actually safe to be on your own in the middle of the night in Bucharest, but I don’t think something bad is ever going to happen to me. And after this little experience, I’m more than convinced that I’m going to be fine. Ah, what a night that was! J) I always laugh when I remember it. Apart from this I read some books [note to self: don't be such a lazy dudette and start writing about them  

And now come 2 lists: one with things I like over here and one with things that piss me off, and that's about all for the moment.

Things which I love about Bucharest:

• The autumn: it's such a mild autumn here compared with the cold, rainy, long one from BM.
• I can walk down the street and only think about myself. I am somehow invisible. I don't have to greet everyone, I don't have to keep on smiling to people my mum knows, I am myself and that's that. I can really concentrate on my problems, thoughts, feelings.
• I have more time to read. I always have a book with me and I love reading on the tube. I always go to bed at about 3-3:30 in the morning, which means I have about 4h of reading/day and that's awesome, cause in BM my parents would have killed me if I had stayed awake that long.
• I love the feeling of independence this city gives me. I am in control of my live. I decide what/when I eat, go out, read, study. There's no one around to nag me, to boss me around. I cook, I wash my clothes, I clean the apartment. And I've realised that I'm quite good at these things [braaaaaaaging :D]. I never thought I was going to cook, but here I am, buying groceries from the market and turning them into whatever I fancy eating that day
• I can see my nephew Mihnea very often. I usually drop by every second day. He’s such a sweet boy! And I get along very well with my aunt [his mother] too. Yeah, I have great relatives here.
• My apartment [no further comments on this topic]

Things which I hate about Bucharest:

• The rush-hours cause I can’t reach and take out my book from the backpack to read on the tube
• The stupid car drivers who instead of obeying traffic rules they break them, create traffic jams and the honk like madmen. Geese, bloody stop at the red light!!! Not to mention that it’s a real adventure to cross the street. If you’re not careful enough, you could end up in hospital. They have no respect for the pedestrians.
• Bloody classes which start at 8 o’clock in the morning. God, am I tired in the morning. I kind of skipped them the last week, but I hope this won’t happen every week.
• The way people always rush. Chill, slow down, your lives won’t end if you don’t catch this tube or if you miss this bus. And the way they always cram through the tube doors. Where’s the fire?
• There’s no public transport by night and if you don’t catch the 23:30 tube, you have to go either by taxi [which costs a fortune!] either wait for the 5:00 o’clock tube. And this sucks big time.

Well, this is about all. Now I’m going to have a pleasant and long conversation with My Maria on YM. And here is a picture of me and Mihnea. My first and only picture from Bucharest. Sorry for the low quality. Anyways, I’M BACK!!!!